Life

Archbishop Eleutherius was born on September 17, 1955 as Yuriy Feofanovich Kozorez in the Rovno region of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1979 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, graduating in 1984. In 1985, Yuriy was ordained a deacon and then a priest and appointed to serve in St. Nicholas' Cathedral in Alma-Ata in the Kazakh SSR. In 1987, Fr. Yuriy was tonsured a monk as Eleutherius and in 1988 elevated to the rank of igumen.

In February 1991, Fr. Eleutherius was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and consecrated Bishop of Chimkent and Tselinograd, with his title changing in 1993 to reflect the change in the name of his diocese. Between 2002 and 2003 Bishop Eleutherius administered the Eparchy of Astana and Almaty and in 2004 was elevated to the rank of archbishop.